When you travel:

• Tell your card issuer where you’re headed and for how long
• Note card numbers, balances and issuer phone numbers and keep them in a safe place
• Save and check all receipts against your statement
• Don’t leave cards unattended

View the most common scams and how to spot them on the tabs above

Overpayment fraud usually starts with internet-based transactions (e.g.., eBay or Craigslist), but can also be conducted over the phone or through the mail. Scams often consist of a counterfeit cashier’s check(s) or money order(s) sent as payment for an item or service. The check is usually for an amount greater than what you have asked for, and you are asked to wire the excess back to the sender. Once the check inevitably bounces, you will be left to pay back the entire balance to your financial institution.

Tips:
• Confirm the buyer’s name, address and telephone number.
• Do not accept a check for more than the selling price.
• Contact the financial institution the check is drawn on to validate funds. If the buyer insists you wire back any money, end the transaction immediately.

In this type of fraud you may receive a notice that you are the winner of a lottery or sweepstakes you did not enter. To collect your winnings, you’ll be asked to provide personal information and financial details. Complying with these requests will give criminals the ability to steal your identity. You may also be asked to pay a small fee through wire for taxes before collecting your winnings. This money is then stolen and, of course, you will never see your prize.

Tips:
• Do not respond to emails/letters/faxes claiming that you have won money.
• Never give out personal or account information to anyone in these scenarios.
• Always remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.
• Participation in foreign lotteries is against the law.

Unsolicited offers through email, known as spam, are common methods of fraud. Spam can be used to gather personal information to gain access to your accounts and/or identity. Emails may include attachments or links that will lead you to fake sites to enter your personal information or ask you to call a fake phone number and provide account details. Spam attachments can also force you to download harmful software.

Tips:
• You should not email your personal information to an unknown source.
• Fort Knox Federal emails will never ask you to reply with any personal or account information.
• We will never claim your account may be closed if you fail to confirm your personal information via email.
• If you don’t know the source of an email you receive, delete it.
• Keep your computer firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware software up-to-date.

At home or away, report fraud immediately:
If you suspect you have been the victim of fraud, visit your nearest branch or call us toll-free at 1-800-285-5669.